Curtains
by houseofanubishoa
Summary: AU. Year: 2134. Curtains. Curtains are everything. Curtains are life. What are Curtains you may ask? They're an escape. Curtains will save you. Curtains will kill you. A Curtain isn't the piece of fabric that hung over doors and windows 100 years back, a Curtain is a trait. A powerful, dangerous, amazing, trait. It either reins down terror, or brings years of happiness.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This will kind of be like Divergent meets The Purge, with The Giver thrown in the mix.**

Curtains. Curtains are everything. Curtains are life. What are Curtains you may ask? They're an escape. Curtains will save you. Curtains will kill you. A Curtain isn't the piece of fabric that hung over doors and windows 100 years back, a Curtain is a trait. A powerful, dangerous, amazing, trait. It either reins down terror, or brings years of happiness. It determines your life. From one second old to 112 years old, Curtains will always be there, whether you like it or not.

"Congratulations, Mrs. Campbell." The doctor handed the blonde haired green eyed women a small child. "This is Fleur. Your new daughter." The man smiled at the women, whose hair was being stroked by another blonde man called Mick. Mick and Amber had finally been put together once they turned 16. They were assigned to each other by their Curtain the day they were old enough to understand Curtains. Mick's was Power, Amber's was Confidence. Together, the two's curtain was Pride, which is now Fleur's Curtain. Fleur is not destined to be Proud, she is ordered to be Proud. She may not have any doubts. She cannot feel any guilt. She cannot break her Pride. If small, delicate, new, Fleur breaks her Curtain, she will be ordered to death.

Curtains have worked for the past 50 years. Some elders knew of life before the Curtains, but they prefer this life much better. Not many people failed the Curtains, but if they did they were removed. In public, for everyone to see the consequence of breaking their Curtain. But, for one entire week every year, everyone got to choose their own curtain. To explore, to feel, or just if their curious. A Bravery Curtain can be a Shadow Curtain, isolating themselves from their position they must take in order to keep the world thriving. It's a release for some, but a horror for others.

"Isn't this amazing? Our child isn't going to be so amazing! Don't you think Mick?" Amber squealed with excitement, she was always confident that she'd be a wonderful parent. It was in her nature. Mick was equally as excited to be the father of a little girl. He was a powerful man, he will make what he wants happen, and what his daughter wants is what he wants. This family will be unstoppable. It's quite rare that two Curtains of Confidence and Power are paired together, as sometime too much power will go wrong, but after seeing how the two act with each other, their love will keep their entire family strong.

"She'll be the alpha child. I know it." Mick nodded as he grabbed Amber's hand, while being put into the car. Fleur was to stay in the hospital for another week, so the doctor can alter her fresh personality and boost the pride trait, and to monitor how she'll act with the trait. There was always a chance that she wouldn't come out how the government wants her to, and if so, she'll be killed. But Amber and Mick weren't worried about that, they knew their child would be perfect. Just how the world is. Or should I say, _was_.

* * *

"Mick! Patricia! Eddie! Help!" Amber screamed as a man towered over her, knife in his hand. This was the week, the week where everyone was a Blind, they could open up and be themselves. Some people during the week of the Blind, though, went a little overboard showing their true colors. Anything was okay this week. Any sort of personality changes, crime, scandal, affair, _anything _was alright, as long as they closed their Blinds and returned to their normal Curtain after the week was over, well, if they survived. This week was pure hell, and everyone knew it. Children would lose fathers, mothers, even both. Children weren't allowed to participate until they turned 14, although. The week always remained either way. It was the only time people can escape from their perfect world, to see how a real life would be. They'd stop taking their pills to keep their Curtain intact if they desired, they'd stay away from their family if they desired. Whatever they want they'd have.

Mick was the first to run to his wife's aid. He pulled out his pocket knife, slitting the man's throat. Eddie and Patricia ran behind, gun in Eddie's hand, a lead pipe in Patricia's. The two pairs were friends for ages, all being in similar Curtain groups in grade school. Eddie was Bravery, Patricia was Pride. As well, Patricia and Eddie were another dangerous pair, but they seemed to work. The 4 instantly became great friends.

"C'mon, let's get inside. We can't have any other bastard psychos trying to kill any of us again." Patricia threw her lead pipe into her garage's pad locked closet where she and Eddie keep their weapons incase they'd ever need them. Guns, axes, knives, bows and arrows, and Patricia's favorite: lead pipes, would be stored for safe keeping. Not every week involved death, though. Sometimes it was mainly abandonment. Abandonment was one of the worst feelings possible for someone who wasn't a Shadow. It lead to people taking their own lives, people running away, and murder of those who left them. Everyone knew things would return to normal once the week was over, but some couldn't last that long.

Eddie poured cups of coffee for his guest. Fleur was still in the hospital, being released one The Blind Week was over. Eddie and Patricia had their own child, Emma, staying at a relatives while England's week commenced, Ireland's not commencing for another 3. "Hey, babe. You did a good job fighting off the asshole who tried strangling you before helping Amber." Eddie commented as he set down his mug on the wooden table. He grabbed the TV remote and turned the TV onto some show he and his family enjoyed watching as they all sipped their beverage.

"I know." Patricia smiled snugly, kissing Eddie briefly in between sips of coffee and watching TV. Patricia's seen the episode many times, but it still interested her quite a bit. She liked it, Emma liked it, and Eddie and their friends liked it, so it was okay.

"Gross, get a room!" Mick laughed while throwing a piece of bread at Eddie, but asking for it back as he realized he wanted to eat it. Classic Mick.

"How about it? Let's go get a room." Patricia winked as she pulled Eddie off his chair and into the hallway, towards their bedroom. Eddie was Brave, so he wouldn't care about what his friends thought. Patricia was Proud, so she wouldn't mind giving people something to talk about. Shockingly, their relationship unlike other's worked.

"I swear, those two are addicted to each other, Ambs." Mick laughed as he set down his mug. Amber didn't respond to Mick's comment. She had a worried look on her face. "Babe, what's up?" Mick grabbed her hands, Amber couldn't look him in the eyes.

"Mick, I almost got _killed _out there! What if you weren't there to help? I would've been gone! Fleur wouldn't have been able to see her mother, what if I died?" A tear started to run down her face. Amber was never this worried. Amber was still taking her pills, if she wasn't Confident now, which means she has a chance of not being Confident after the week was over. That means she could be killed by the government. That means she'd break her Curtain, and she'd be gone.

"Look, Amber, I'm not letting anything happen to you. If they hurt you, they're going to have to go through me first. I love you, and I always will because you'll always be here. We'll live to the normal 112, maybe even older. We'll watch Fleur grow up, we'll be together, forever. You're never going to die in the hands of a man. You're going to die of old age, like me. Okay?" Mick scooted his chair over to pull the young lady into a one armed hug, she resting her head on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Ambs. Don't worry." He kissed her hair as they sat in that position while Eddie and Patricia did whatever an Eddie and Patricia do.

**A/N: Yay me new FF. Thoughts? Opinions? And if you're confused, that's okay. Stay confused, that's the fun part. **

**-Nadia**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry for the two week long wait, I went on vacation to Arkansas and the hotel charges $9.99 for Wi-Fi per night, and my dad refused to pay. I hate to make you wait, I'm really, really, **_**really**_** sorry.**

Amber, Mick, Patricia, and Eddie all sat down at the wooden table in the restaurant they had strolled into. The atmosphere was gloomy and cold, as usual during this week, but the four were willing to take the risk of strolling around where danger creeps.

"Hi, good afternoon." A small sized lady placed menus in front of the four. "My name is Joy, and I'll be your server today." Joy was a brave, yet a bit of a shy girl. She'd stand up for herself, stating what she thought was correct. She was a Sincere Curtain. They weren't the most populated Curtains, so finding one is almost _rare. _The majority of people were either over confident and hypocritical, or almost indivisible.

"Have I seen you before?" Patricia asked without taking her eyes off the menu. Joy seemed like a nice girl to Patricia, but she couldn't help but feeling as if she was important. Patricia was quick to judge though, when she first met Eddie she thought he was like all of the other cocky boys she'd met, especially being one of Bravery. He ended up marrying her.

"I, I don't think so?" Joy stuttered while taking out her notepad to write down the orders of the group. "Maybe we went to the same grade school?" she spoke casually. She did know Patricia, she knew all four of them. They used to be friends, Patricia sought to her for advice, and Joy happily stood behind Patricia in crowds. Joy used to have a crush on Eddie, a huge one in fact. But once she heard Patricia was dating him, her crush was crushed. She wouldn't do anything like that to a friend, right? Correct. She was indivisible to Mick and Amber while at school. She would either intrigue people with her straightforwardness, or bore them away with her flat, plain, and detailed explanation on why she was right and why you should agree. She wouldn't say anything in a rude or mean manner though, but she'd stick up for her belief to whatever costs. Straightforward, brave, yet quite Joy never really stood out.

"Yeah, maybe." Patricia replied, finalizing her decision on what to order. "You look really familiar, though."

"Yeah. We used to be friends once." Joy finally replied after writing down everyone's orders. She looked at Patricia and smiled, "Remember? Joy Mercer? I used to like the one kid… Fabian, but then he was dating that other girl that you absolutely hated, Nina?" She laughed a bit while sticking her pen into the spirals of her notepad and sticking it in her pocket. "I'm going to go and place these orders." Joy picked up the menus and left.

"I remember her! You two were like best friends!" Eddie claimed while taking a sip of his drink. "Why is it so important though?" he questioned while setting down his beverage, leaving room for his food.

"She seemed… important. I don't know. She just felt a little off."

"Here are you plates," Joy returned with two sandwiches, a salad, and a soup, 15 minutes later. After placing them in front of their desired consumers, she walked off to sit on a stool at a bar.

"I'm going to talk to her." Patricia stated while pushing herself out of her chair. She walked over next to Joy who was talking to a guy with very voluminous blonde hair, who would grab Joy's hand every once in a while. Patricia assumed that was her boyfriend.

"Oh, hi. Do you guys need refills or something?" Joy turned her attention from her conversation to the slim red haired girl. "You should've just called me over, you didn't need to walk over here." Joy stood up from the barstool to head towards the kitchen.

"No, no, it's fine." Patricia grabbed Joy's wrist to keep her from leaving. "I was wondering if you'd like to catch up sometime. Eddie was telling me we were really close, so, why not be friends again?" Patricia wrote down where Joy could get contact of her on the bottom of Joy's notepad, and then left to continue eating her food.

"That was… weird." The young man with the hair chuckled after Patricia was out of earshot. "Why do you think she's so persistent on talking to you again?"

"I don't know, Jerome." She responded, curious herself. "It's really weird, why would someone want to talk to me?"

"Because you're _gorgeous_, with that beautiful smile of yours. You're _hilarious_, you never fail to make me laugh with your clumsiness, you-" Jerome was cut off.

"I love you too, Jerome, but I've got work to do. Get heading home, I'll see you later."

* * *

Joy walked alone down the sidewalks of the community, trying to avoid the commotion of the people around her. Her house was only a five minute walk from the restaurant she worked at, but she still feared for her life. The week was hectic, she constantly wonders why work isn't canceled, but, she has to deal with it. Not many deaths took place, but the lingering emotions of depression sat in the air, effecting everyone. People weren't smiling, laughing, and playing with each other at shops. Kids weren't fooling around, mothers weren't giving tours of the city to their children. (Most likely because the majority of children were forced away in another country.) It was all very gloomy, and the fear of danger would creep up on citizens, having them jump and scream at every unexpected sound or sight of movement.

Chilling, terrifying, joyless thoughts that usually filled Joy's mind during the week returned, having the young lady come up with scenarios on how she would defend herself from possible attackers. This system of the way of life the government came up with got to people, ruining the lives they would've had or getting in the way of mistakes they could've experienced and learned from. The _perfect_ world wasn't as perfect as it seemed, yet all nations on the planet contributed to it, having it be the only _real_ way of life. A fake, picture perfect, controlled world is all they knew, and that world will never be a real world. It's something tailored to keep bad from happening, except bad needed to happen sometimes, and a week wasn't enough time to allow it to take its course. Someone needed to put a stop to it, and it might just have to be straight-forward Joy, brave Eddie, proud Patricia, powerful Mick, confident Amber, and courageous Jerome. Joy knew who the next person she was going to talk to was Patricia. She had a plan, and this was the very week to go through with it, letting her be whoever she wanted to, though she'd have to work fast.

**A/N: Yay me for writing this at 11pm! Wow, I'm beat! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, read and review!**

**-Nadia**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello! Thanks for opening the link to this chapter! I know I said I plan to update on Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays as I did with my last fic (which you should read), but I've been really busy this summer. I've got my homework to do for Pre-AP classes next year, I've got an instrument to practice for band, and band camp starts in 2 weeks. So, I'm sorry for my lack of updates. But thanks for all the amazing feedback!**

"Hello?" Joy held her cell phone to her ear with her shoulder, mixing sauces and boiling pasta for dinner. She called Patricia, planning on inviting her, Eddie, Mick, and Amber over to dinner with her and Jerome, and telling them her plan of action to hopefully bring an end to all chaos. She had gotten home around 20 minutes, and Jerome had just arrived to their dwelling.

"This is Patricia," Patricia spoke into the device while sitting on her living room sofa, Eddie at her side and Mick and Amber in the kitchen, searching for food they didn't have. "Who's this?"

"It's Joy." Joy responded, laughing slightly. "Have you and your friends ate dinner yet? I was cooking and made a little more than Jerome and I bargained for. Would you like to come over?" Joy invited to four to dinner, which they said yes to. Mick claimed he was 'starving', be he had only ate an hour ago. Amber didn't really care, as long as she could get Mick to shut up. Joy told them her address, and they were to arrive in ten or so minutes.

"What is this all about Joy?" Jerome asked as he put his elbows on the bar and rested his chin in his hands. He had never really met their four dinner guest, being the kind of mysterious boy in grade school. Courageous, yet a bit hidden. Like Joy.

"I'll tell you at dinner, now go and get dressed!" Joy smacked his wrist with the kitchen towel that had been resting on her shoulder. Jerome rolled his eyes but walked towards their bedroom to change.

Jerome had finished getting dressed and finished getting lectured by Joy to be on his best behavior. He reassured her that everything would go fine, and whatever idea she has that requires six people is probably insane, but he loves her and he'll put up with it.

"Oh, they're here!" Joy yelled from her room as she heard the doorbell ring. Jerome, noticing that Joy was still putting her shoes on, went to greet their guest.

"Hello, good afternoon." Jerome used his well-behaved words. On an occasion where Alfie, his best friend, and Willow, Alfie's girlfriend and Joy's cousin, would come over, he would've just opened the door and say something similar to 'Hey, bro! What's up?' or just walk back into the living room entirely. "You guys can take a seat here," Jerome said while gesturing them towards the couch. "Joy is taking a little while."

"Okay." Amber smiled while walking in. "Thanks for inviting us for dinner!" she said casually while taking a look around the house. It was quite large, green colored walls, a beige carpet, a dark mahogany dining room table, polished leather seats, and leather couch, all in the front of the house. The home also had a large hallway, with three to four bedrooms, a linen closet, and two bathrooms. She also spotted a backyard with quite an amazing patio at the far end of the house. "Wow, your house is nice!" Amber declared as Joy walked through the hallway. "You can afford this all on a waitress's salary?" the words flew out of Amber's mouth before she could realize what she said. "Oh, sorry!"

"No, it's fine." Joy laughed while she hugged her four guests as a greeting. "Jerome works. He works at the hospital, they're shut down though. So he just does whatever he wants this week. I'm still looking for a job though, I've been applying everywhere! I used to work for the newspaper, but ever since everyone decided that TV was much better, we've all been laid off. I like writing, I'm looking into writing for major companies' blogs."

"Oh, that's wonderful! I'm sure you'll get the job!" she reassured her new friend.

"Thanks! Why don't you all grab a seat? The foods ready." Joy ran into the kitchen and brought a giant bowl of spaghetti and set it on the table. "Let's eat!"

* * *

"What do you mean you want to bring a stop to the week? How are we possibly going to do that?" Patricia set down her fork on her plate of food. Joy had explained her idea and the benefits of it to everyone. She got mixed replies. Patricia thought she was crazy, Amber was confused, Eddie and Mick were both on board, and Jerome didn't know if it would be a good or bad idea.

"We all know it's a very bad time of the year, the worst! We, the people, need to stop it. We could bring attention to the plan. I'll write about it on the internet! Patricia, you could go and tell all your friends, pursue them into joining. And Eddie, you could go and help Patricia! Mick could recruit people, and they could go protest. Once our country stops, soon will the others." Joy explained her foolproof plan.

"It seems like a really good idea, Yacker." Eddie chimed in. "Soon enough, we won't have people trying to kill Amber, or running away, or killing themselves. Imagine how great that would be?"

"And, we won't have to listen to these stupid rules. We won't have to be what they want us to be. We'll be whoever we want!" Mick commented, nodding his head. "I'm in."

"So am I." Eddie replied.

"It doesn't seem so bad!" Jerome smiled, taking Joy's hand.

"Are we in?" Joy looked at everyone, asking for a final verdict.

"We're in." the plan was now going to be carried out. Even though they realized they wouldn't have enough time to bring an end to this year's, they would spend the next few months bringing a stop to the next years.

**A/N: Yay me! I like bbys working together, and yes, sooner or later all of the Anubis residents will pop up. Go Sibuna!**

**-Nadia**


	4. Annoucment

Hello! I've got some news.

I have decided to stop this fanfic. I've been getting very little feedback, and I really don't have any time to write anymore. I'm starting high school, big things, woo! So to prepare, I've got to do loads of homework for my Pre-AP classes, and I've also got band camp which starts tomorrow (Tuesday). I really have barely any time on my hands for anything. If I ever get time again, when things start to calm down, I'll re-post the story under the same title, and just delete this version. I hope you all understand my decision, and to you people who enjoyed the story, thank you. I'm sorry if anyone was hoping for an update, but I can't do that. I apologize. Sorry! Have a great rest of your summer.

-Nadia


End file.
